


A Promise

by Barnababy



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: M/M, Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2020-10-26 17:15:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20745833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barnababy/pseuds/Barnababy
Summary: "Sure, it's a promise then. We're going to meet again at the officer's academy, and getting in will be one of my greatest schemes yet."Dimitri and Claude promise to meet at the academy when they're older.





	1. The Promise

It wasn't that bad. He knew he would get strange looks everywhere he went, so he didn't mind it as much. Still, that kid had been staring at him for almost an hour now, and Claude was pretty sure those eyes would leave their mark on the back of his head. 

The adults had been talking for a while, and while Claude tried to pay attention to what they were saying, the blonde kid was way too distracting. He thought of scaring him away with a glare, but he had glanced at those blue eyes when they were first introduced, and he was kind of nervous of looking into them again. It wasn't fear; he got this feeling of wanting to be kind to him, even though he didn't know the kid. 

"Ahem," the older blonde man coughed a little loudly, to get the attention of the boys, "we have some more, _boring_ matters to discuss, so you two can go have some fun for now. Claude, would you show Dimitri around? He's been looking forward to this," he smiled, and pushed his son forward. "Stay safe and be back by sunset," he added, nodding at Claude. __

_ __ _

_ __ _

"Of course Sir," he replied, and gave a small salute. Lambert chuckled at this, and led Claude's father away.

"So, now that we're finally free, what do you wanna do?" he asked the other boy, who was nervously looking at his feet.

"A-ah, well, if it's not too much trouble," Dimitri started, fidgeting a little with his sleeves, "I was hoping to look at some weapon shops?" He looked up at Claude, finally making eye contact.

"Weapons, huh? Trying to get rid of me already? You could just ask." he laughed, but the other child didn't catch onto the joke, and tried to mumble out an apology. 

"I would never! I just really enjoy seeing different types of blades, especially those forged by foreign blacksmiths."

"Oh, I see." Claude was a little wide-eyed at this. He hadn't expected a young boy, especially one of such high standing, to be interested in things like that. He was a little impressed, but just a bit. "Well in that case, I can introduce you to some of my favorite shopkeepers, now that I know you won't try to murder me."

This put a huge smile on the blonde boy's face, and it kind of made Claude's heart race a little. Before he could begin to hesitate, he held Dimitri's hand and led him towards the stores, ignoring the surprised look he was getting. 

As Dimitri looked around from store to store excitedly, Claude asked him questions about his life, like how he trained, what he did for fun, and what his home was like. As they talked all day, he realized that it wasn't that hard to talk to someone different. It was actually comfortable, fun even. He always thought that people from Fódlan would look down at him as well, but Dimitri wasn't like that. They talked like equals. Dimitri was most likely special, and Claude knew this. And so he made sure to enjoy their time together as best as he could. 

They were back at the camp where Dimitri and his father were staying. They sat under a tree nearby as the sun was setting, still asking each other whatever questions they could think of.

"So," Claude started, "what are you going to do when you grow up? Like before you have to take up your princely duties and all that?"

"Well, I don't really know. To be honest, there is an academy I would like to attend. I don't know if you have heard of the church of Seiros, but they run the Officer's Academy. I know I'm going to be busy with royal duties when I am older, so I want the chance to be around my peers before then." He furrowed his brows a little and paused, and after thinking about it, he added, "a-actually, I don't know if it is possible, but I would greatly enjoy having you there as well. I think it would be a much more pleasurable experience."

Claude didn't know what kind of face he was making, but he was definitely sure it was the stupidest and most surprised face he's ever made. "Me? You want me there? With you?" The other boy nodded quickly at that, a little nervous. "That would be pretty fun, your highness, but I'm not very royal myself. I'm not even from Fódlan, and I barely know anything about that church you mentioned." The prince looked dejected, so he quickly added "not that I wouldn't want to go! I also think it would be really fun to go there with you."

"Then let's promise to meet there again! Knowing you, Claude, I believe that you will find a way to get there." He took Claude's hands into his, and looked at him with a strongly determined but happy look.

"There's that stare again," Claude chuckled. "Sure, it's a promise then. We're going to meet again at the officer's academy, and getting in will be one of my greatest schemes yet."

-

The promise followed him every day. Everything Claude did, he did for that promise he made with Dimitri. They hadn't met again since then, but he never forgot. 

As he was being measured for his uniform, he couldn't help the smile on his face. He was too excited for words. His whole life had basically led up to this moment. There was a feeling of nervousness though, and it made his stomach feel like he had fallen off his wyvern. But it was only natural. He would finally see _him_ again. It may have taken years, but constantly replaying that day in his head allowed him to realize that he had the biggest crush on the prince. But he would take it slow. He didn’t even know if Dimitri feels the same way.__

_ __ _

_ __ _

It turned out, Dimitri didn't feel _any_ way about him. __

_ __ _

_ __ _

They had both been visiting the monastery before the school year had begun. Claude was so nervous he felt like he would blow up like one of his failed experiments. As he was walking towards the dormitories, he heard a voice, somehow familiar but also not, and he whipped his head around. When he saw that blonde head in the courtyard, his legs immediately ran towards him.

_Finally_, the moment he had dreamt about every night. "Dimitri!" he called out in happiness, as he slapped his hand on the prince's shoulder.__

_ __ _

_ __ _

Dimitri turned around in shock, confusion on his face as he looked right into Claude's eyes, "Excuse me, but who are you?"


	2. Chapter 2

He was used to the looks. The cold stares. They didn’t bother him anymore.  
But this.  
This was different.  
This was the one person he trusted above all else.  
He was used to the looks, but not from him.  
Claude felt sick. His insides ached; it felt like his stomach was being crushed and his heart was being ripped into a hundred pieces. He wanted to disappear.

But with the prince still looking at him, he tried to force something out, anything.  
“I’m. Claude. Von Riegan. Claude Von Riegan.”

Dimitri’s eyebrows shot up. “Von Riegan? I see. Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Claude. Forgive my rudeness earlier, I was merely caught by surprise.” He bowed slightly at Claude. “We must have met previously, I apologize for not recalling when.”

“Ah, no need to apologize, your Highness. It happens.”

“Thank you Claude, but it is still careless on my part. Please, allow me to treat you to a meal once classes begin.”

Claude really just wanted to leave. This whole situation was literally the worst-case scenario. But he reluctantly agreed to Dimitri’s request, just so it could be over.

“I look forward to it then. Unfortunately, I have a meeting scheduled with one of the professors, but we will have time to chat in the future. Good day, Claude.” And with that, he turned and walked away, his hair shining brilliantly in the sun just as it did all those years ago.

Claude sighed. This definitely wasn’t how he imagined their reunion would go. He had thought of so many different scenarios, almost every night. In his wildest fantasies he saw himself professing his love, possibly with lots of flowers involved. Right now, the only flowers involved were the ones crushed beneath his feet.

-

Claude returned to his room in the dormitory. Slowly and defeatedly, he sat down onto the creaky bed. His belongings were strewn all over the room, but he felt no urge to clean up. Instead, he reached into his satchel, and pulled out an elegantly designed golden dagger. During their time together, Dimitri had told him that he tended to give daggers to his new friends. It seemed silly at the time, but Claude carried it everywhere since then. Although he teased his friend all night over the dagger, it meant the world to him. Dimitri had picked it out carefully while they were out shopping, and he bought it specifically for Claude.

He never forgot that day, but Dimitri had. He wondered if he even meant anything to him. He thought he must have been so insignificant if Dimitri just up and forgot all about him. But as he felt the weight of the dagger in his hand, he knew that wasn’t the case. He had been important to him. Claude was sure that there had to be a reason why Dimitri couldn’t remember him.

He wasn’t going to just give up. He would make Dimitri remember. Not only that, but he would make the prince fall for him as well.

-  
Sweat dripped down his neck. Knuckles white in a strong, tight grip. His movements were fast and hard. Yet he still laughed, no grimace on his handsome face.

_Stupid,_ Claude thought._ _His handsome face is stupid. __

The classes had joint practice today. Everyone was pretty exhausted at this point, but the training maniacs were still going at it.

Claude sat in the dirt, chin in his hands. His brows were furrowed, and an outsider would think he was glaring at the two boys training. Technically, he was a little angry. But only because Dimitri had no right looking that gorgeous while working out. His hair still looked nice and his cheeks were a cute pink and he looked so good swinging that huge lance arou-

“Claude?”

A voice shocked Claude out of his lovestruck thoughts, and he fell backwards in surprise. Slowly opening one eye, he saw the Prince’s flushed face looking at him, confusion clear on his face.

He was close. Too close. Claude could hear his fast breaths, a sign that he was slightly tired after the fight. He could even smell his shampoo. Lavender? He couldn’t quite tell, but it was nice.

Sitting up, he let out a low chuckle. “Hey, your princliness. Finally done? We thought you and Felix were never gonna quit”

“Ah, this is how it usually goes. My apologies if we got a little carried away”

Leaning on his knees, Claude slowly pushed himself up and dusted off his pants. “No worries, everyone knows you’re both in love with your weapons. Anyway, did you need something? You’re not one to stop and chat.”

Dimitri looked at the ground nervously, “well, if you’re not busy, would you care to join me for that meal I suggested before? I know it’s been almost two months since then, but it seems we’ve never gotten the chance.”

That was not what Claude expected. Honestly, he kind of thought the prince was avoiding him. Maybe he was, but now he was inviting him to lunch. This was very much a surprising development. So surprising, in fact, that Claude’s hands were sweating in his pockets, and he could feel his neck burning all the way to his ears.

Still, he tried to play it cool. He had to.

“Oh, sure! Actually, I had completely forgotten about that, but lucky for you I happen to be free this afternoon.”

_Yeah, right. I’ve been waiting for him to ask ever since he mentioned it._

“Wonderful! I am also relieved that you weren’t troubled by my delayed invitation. Let me put away the weapons and we can leave.”

As he turned away happily, Claude smiled sadly at his back. _It’s okay_, he thought. _You can keep pretending it’s fine, just like always. You can do it Claude.___

-

Claude had no idea what Dimitri had ordered for them, but it was covered in cheese. Like, actually completely covered in cheese. He eyed it suspiciously, prodding it with his fork.

“You absolutely _must_ try it, Claude! It’s a house Gautier specialty, and they don’t prepare it here often.”__

“Mhmmmm”. He still didn’t trust it, whatever it was. But the love of his life was telling him to eat it, so you could bet your left shoe he was going to eat the whole thing.

It turned out it wasn’t that bad. A little too cheesy, but not bad at all. Dimitri was absolutely delighted.

All through their meal, they chatted about anything and everything. Their lessons, professors, the struggles of being house leader. They didn’t speak about personal matters, but Claude didn’t mind. After all, they were simply classmates. To Dimitri, at least. Still, he had a great time. The fact that he could be sitting in the academy’s dining hall, having lunch with _the_ Dimitri, the person he had dreamed about every night, was more than he could ever ask for. For now, it was enough. __

As Dimitri rambled on excitedly about new weapons he got to try in class, Claude smiled softly at him. A happy smile, one that reached his eyes, just like back when they were children. He still loved him. Even though he changed, Dimitri was still Dimitri. And he still meant everything to Claude.

“Is something the matter, Claude? I hope I’m not boring you,” Dimitri started.

Claude waved his hand dismissively. “Not at all, your highness. I’m just enjoying your story, I promise. Please, go on,” he urged with a smile.

-

The two slowly spent more time together. Not significantly much, but they dined together now and then, and when Dimitri had no sparring partner, Claude would offer. Anyone could see that they enjoyed each other’s company.

Claude never pushed. Of course he wanted to spend all his time with his crush, but he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable or scare him away. There was also the rumors. He knew the things people said about him; how they couldn’t trust him because he looked different. He also knew Dimitri heard those rumors, there was no way he wouldn’t. Everyone did.  
It made Claude nervous. He didn’t want people spreading nasty things about Dimitri because they spent time together, but he was also worried that the prince would look at him differently. And so, he hardly ever initiated anything. If Dimitri offered, he would almost always accept. But the guilt always lingered, like a cold grip around his heart. He loved Dimitri, there was no doubt about that. But because he loved him so much, he didn’t want to ruin his reputation, and so he kept his distance.

Dimitri, on the other hand, was oblivious to the worries filling Claude’s head. As a prince and house leader, he did his best to become acquainted with his classmates, Claude included. It just so happened that he enjoyed spending time with him slightly more than he did with the others. He was always so happy when Claude accepted his invitations.

This time was no exception either. Class had just ended, and Dimitri found himself crossing the monastery in long, hurried strides to find Claude. He stepped into the courtyard and spotted Claude’s disheveled hair, and raised his hand as he was about to greet him, but quickly stopped himself. Claude was laughing, a rare happy and carefree laugh. His voice was beautiful and strong, carrying itself across the courtyard. He was laughing at something Hilda and Sylvain were bickering about. Dimitri let his hand fall to his side, and he promptly spun around and walked away. For some reason, the sight of Claude laughing happily with their classmates made Dimitri’s chest hurt. He couldn’t figure out why.


	3. Chapter 3

Something was off. The days kept going by and all he saw of Dimitri were glimpses as he walked around the monastery. The prince even seemed to be taking his lunches at different times, because no matter when Claude visited the mess hall, they never bumped into each other. 

Of course they couldn’t meet up all the time, Claude understood that. He understood that very, very well, since he would love to spend every waking moment with Dimitri. However, not only were they students, but they were in different houses. And somehow the church thought sending kids on dangerous missions was a good idea, so they were definitely busy at times. Still, he was able to chat with the other students, and heck, even his professors would stop to talk, but there was no sign of the lovely blonde prince. He didn’t want to assume that he was being avoided, but it sure felt like it.

It had been a long and lonely month before Claude’s suspicions were confirmed. Once again, they were going to have joint training with the kitty cats.

Byleth clapped their hands to get the students’ attention. “Pair up. Spar. Ten minutes. Switch.”

Manuela let out a soft laugh and bumped shoulders with the shorter Professor. “Straight to the point, I like that.” 

Claude, ever so perceptive, rolled his eyes at them and turned to his partner, who happened to be Sylvain. “Shall we get started, partner?” He asked with a wink.

“Oh, I am very ready to start, your handsomeness.”

-

Ten minutes felt like forever once they were done. Claude and Sylvain has tried to one up each other the whole time, both in attacks and innuendos. Sylvain really couldn’t resist making a joke about his lance and it just escalated from there. 

Claude slapped his hand down on his partner’s shoulder. “Sylvain, it seems like I’ve finally found my match. If your interests come to lie in devious areas such as mine, I would actually be scared.”

Sylvain smirked, “Lucky for you then that I am only interested in romance, and I have no plans to change that.” 

He waved Sylvain away, and as he picked up his sword to find another partner, Claude noticed Dimitri shuffling around in the corner of his eye. His earlier spar had been a good distraction, but now he was reminded again that the target of his affections was in the same room as him. He made a quick decision, said a quick prayer while tightly squeezing his sword with sweaty hands, and hurriedly stomped all the way to the other house leader. He surprised himself, but more surprised was Dimitri, whose eyes were completely wide, and his grip was so tight that his weapon was very close to snapping in half. 

“Um. We have to switch partners. So come on, let’s train.” He tried to sound nonchalant, except he was sweating bullets. But thanks to some blessing from the all-mighty Goddess herself, Dimitri just nodded. “Of course. After you, Claude.” 

“So,” Claude began, after they had been sparring silently for a minute, “how are things going? We’ve both been so busy that we haven’t had time to chat.”

“Ah, my apologies, Claude. You know how it is, as you are a fellow house leader. We very rarely have time to ourselves.”

_ Liar _ , Claude thought to himself.  _ I’ve had so much free time which I spent thinking about you. _

He side-stepped quickly to dodge before responding. “I agree, your highness. But still, I can’t help but miss our lunches. I’m terribly lonely without you.” He said that last part with a grin, so that he wouldn’t be taken too seriously. 

Dimitri, however, seemed to fumble when he heard that, and his lance flew out of his hands when he parried a swing from Claude. He stood there looking at his poor weapon, laying on the ground several feet away, but his mind didn’t seem to register what had happened. 

On the other hand, Claude was having a mini freak-out. He didn’t know if he had hurt the prince or maybe even made him angry, but the other students were giving them weird and confused looks, so he started furiously shaking his hands in front of Dimitri’s face to get his attention.

“Hi? Hello? Earth to Dimitri?” He loudly whispered, “Are you okay??” 

His voice somehow snapped the other back to reality, and they were making eye contact now.

“Oh. Claude. What happened?” He asked, genuine confusion on his face.

Was this really happening? Was this blonde fool just going to make them run around in circles? Claude was completely dumbfounded now.

“Your highness, that’s what I’d like to know.”

-

“So, let me get this straight,” he pointed his fork at the prince sitting across from him, “you were shocked because I said I missed you?”

Dimitri scratched his head sheepishly, “Well, it appears so. I did not think you viewed me as one of your friends.”

“No offense, Dimitri, but you’re a huge idiot. Of course you’re my friend, I wouldn’t hang out that much with someone I hated! I mean, I know everyone thinks I have ulterior motives and all, but that’s not how it is with you, I promise”

“That’s a relief, then. I hope you will continue to treat me well, Claude,” he replied with a big smile, and Claude had to look away to hide the blush creeping up his neck.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t even worry your pretty head about it.”

“You think my head is pretty?”

Claude’s ears were a burning red now, almost as vibrant as the roses he wanted to throw at this fool. 

“Listen, Dimitri,” he huffed, “everyone thinks you’re pretty. And I’m sure everyone wants to be your friend. Don’t worry too much, and let’s just always have lunch together. Okay??” He insisted, trying to hide his growing embarrassment. 

Dimitri laughed at that, and Claude was sure he could hear the angels sing. “Thank you Claude, I look forward to it.”

-

Dimitri realized it was silly of him to have avoided Claude like that. He thought that maybe he was only inconveniencing Claude the whole time, but he was actually hurting someone who thought of him as a friend. He couldn’t forgive himself for doing that, but Claude kept reassuring him and insisting that it was just a misunderstanding. Sometimes he couldn’t understand why Claude was so nice to him, but he appreciated it.

They ate together as often as they could, and they always chatted whenever they got the chance. But it wasn’t long before that feeling came back. That tightness in his chest. Now that he was sure they were friends it should have gone away for good. But it kept worming its way back into his heart. It didn’t matter if he and Claude were spending time together or not, he just couldn’t get rid of it. 

The feeling was most painful whenever he saw Claude enjoying himself with someone else. Dimitri understood that they both had other friends, so that wasn’t the problem. Was it jealousy? He wasn’t sure. It didn’t make sense to him at all, and that made him feel too hesitant to ask anyone for advice. So he bottled up his feelings, just like a fool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I am so sorry for the delayed update. My job doesn't leave me with much free time, but I'll try to be more consistent!  
This update is kind of half of what I wanted it to be, but I felt bad for not updating so I decided to post what I have so far. But I will try to have the next chapter up soon! Thank you for reading


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> White Heron Cup chapter !

Claude rested his head in his hands, his eyes closed shut as he pondered a thought. He hummed loudly, and turned his head to face the person beside him. 

“It seems, my friend, that we are in a bit of a predicament.”

Dimitri sighed in agreement. “I am with you there, Claude. I cannot imagine getting ourselves out of this mess.”

Claude dramatically threw his hands in the air, “How?! Why us?? How could the goddess let this happen!!” he wailed loudly.

“I really did not expect this outcome. To think we would both be picked to represent our houses in this dance competition. What are our teachers thinking..” Dimitri wondered as he shook his head. 

“Your highness, if I may. I’m not practicing with the professor. No chance. I would honestly rather clean the stables for a week straight. And honestly, I can’t imagine that you’re very excited to practice with Manuela either. So, how about practicing together?” 

Dimitri wasn’t sure where Claude was going, so the question caught him by surprise. He had actually thought Claude would be excited to practice with the professor, especially after hearing Sylvain groan for hours about how “damn lucky Claude is”. 

“Are you sure? I’m not the best dancer, and I’m sure you could find a much better partner. Like Hilda, perhaps?”

That made Claude let out a loud bark of laughter, and Dimitri’s heart kind of did a little jump.

“Hilda? Really? She’d probably chop my head off if I asked. Also I’m pretty sure she’s off begging Marianne to help her practice. I’d rather not get in the way of that.”

“O-oh, i see. I wish her luck in her romantic pursuits, then.”

Claude chuckled, “me too, man. Me too.” He paused for a bit, then with bright eyes he looked back at the prince, “so! Partners???”

Dimitri nodded, unable to find anything to say to dissuade his fellow house leader. 

Claude absolutely beamed at his response, however. He softly patted his friend’s shoulder. “Come on, we better get started,” he said with a wink. 

—

They had to practice without any music, but it didn’t really matter to Claude. The sound of his heartbeat was basically booming in his ears. 

He was currently in yet another predicament. And he was losing his mind over it. 

His.

Hand. 

His damn hand.

HIS. HAND. WAS. BEING. HELD.

BY. 

DIMITRI. 

He thought he was so smart for asking the prince to be his partner, and imagined himself sweeping the blonde boy off his feet. But here he was, absolutely losing it because his crush was holding his hand as they practiced. He really did not think this through at all. So much for being the genius master of plans. Somehow, he didn’t see this coming.

“I hope my dancing is acceptable, Claude. I haven’t had the opportunity to practice in quite a while.”

“Oh you have nothing to worry about, your highness. You’re actually putting me to shame here,” Claude replied with a nervous chuckle. “I didn’t think you’d be this good.”

“Well, it’s a necessary skill for us. I had many lessons when I was younger. Was it not the same for you, Claude?” He tilted his head cutely as he asked.

But the question made Claude flinch. Dimitri could still recall his younger years, but he had yet to remember Claude. He couldn’t say that though, so he quickly coughed to cover up his reaction.

“Umm, not really, to be honest. But I did try to learn a few moves. I am a gentleman, after all,” he grinned. 

“I don’t know if I would agree with you on that, but you do have some nice moves,” Dimitri joked. 

“Really, your highness??”

Dimitri turned his head to the side and covered his mouth, but his laugh still escaped him.

“Oh come on, I’m not that bad!!” Claude exclaimed over the laughter, but Dimitri’s adorable laughter was contagious, and their practice session ended with them being a giggling mess on the floor.

-

The day of the White Heron Cup arrived. Along with Dimitri and Claude, the eagles had chosen Ferdinand. Apparently Hanneman just couldn’t say no after Ferdie had begged him, and so the three boys were going to compete in dancing. 

Claude hadn’t seen Ferdinand dance before, but he had seen Dimitri, and so he expected the prince to win. 

Somehow, Ferdie knocked it out of the park. Even Shamir, who really didn’t want to be there, was wide-eyed and impressed. The black eagles didn’t bat an eye, and you could see it on their faces that they 100% knew he would win. 

Claude went up to Dimitri and rested his hand on his back. “You know, I think I prefer it this way. Now we’ll never know which of us is better,” he deadpanned. 

Playing along, Dimitri also responded in a monotone voice, “of course, Claude. You could still be the better dancer after stepping on my feet at least 15 times.”

Claude’s surprised face made him laugh, so he replied more seriously, “but I am grateful we were chosen. I very much enjoyed dancing with you. I hope you will be my partner again when the opportunity arises.”

His smile was so soft and genuine that it made Claude blush. He looked away from the prince’s face and mumbled softly. ”Of course. Anytime, Dimitri.”

Grinning, he held Claude’s hand and pulled him along to where everyone else was celebrating. They both got attacked by their houses, and were bombarded with complaints about how they were embarrassments as house leaders. Sylvain was practically shaking Claude as he demanded to know what practicing with Byleth was like, but the Golden deer leader tuned him out. He was too focused on the fact that Dimitri didn’t let go of his hand. Even though they were surrounded by all their friends, their fingers remained softly interlaced. Rather than think too deeply about it, Claude let himself enjoy the feeling. He looked at Dimitri, who was busy talking to Hilda, then back to their hands. Tentatively, he gave the prince’s hand a light squeeze. To his surprise, his hand got a squeeze back. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year!!  
Also I really enjoyed dimiclaude week on twitter!


	5. Chapter 5

Dimitri was busy pulling out the weeds when he felt Sylvain shuffle towards him while crouching. He pretended to not notice him until he got right behind him, and without stopping what he was doing, he called out to his classmate, “good afternoon, Sylvain. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Surprised, Sylvain slipped and crashed right into the prince’s back. He sat back and winced as he rubbed his nose. “Damn, I can never sneak up on you. You’re like a wild animal, your senses are too good.”

“Like a boar, perhaps?” Dimitri asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sylvain grinned, “nah, you’re too cute. Maybe a bunny.”

Dimitri chuckled. “So, is there a reason you were hunting this rabbit?”

“Mmmm, just thought we could have a little chat, that’s all.”

“Okay, then what is this chat about?”

“Well,” Sylvain started, stretching his arms behind his head, “I’ve noticed you and the other prince getting real chummy lately. And you don’t usually let people get that close. So, spill. Are you hoping to have him as an ally or something in the future?”

Dimitri just looked at him, confused. “I can understand your concern, since the only friend I have aside from you three is Dedue, but I can assure you I have no political motives in befriending Claude. Quite honestly, I just enjoy being his friend.”

“So, that’s it? You’re just friends?” Sylvain asked. “I find it weird how you guys got close so fast though.”

Dimitri nodded slowly. “I find it strange as well. But it feels, familiar, somehow. Like I have met him before. Which may not be impossible, but I am sure I would remember being friends with someone like him.”

“What’s this about it being not impossible, though?” Sylvain asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Well, when we first met, he knew who I was. Which does not really mean anything, since many people know who I am. But when I said I did not remember meeting him before, he didn’t deny it. So I am assuming we met, and I somehow forgot.”

“Okayyy, so what I’m understanding is that you two met before, and you forgot but he remembers?”

Dimitri half shrugged. “It’s a possibility. But I haven’t brought it up, and he has not either.”

“Hmm, then maybe it wasn’t that big of a deal,” Sylvain said as he rubbed his chin in thought.

“Please, do not tell him we had this conversation. Whether or not we were acquainted in the past does not matter to me. I want to focus on the present.”

“I understand. Don’t worry, your highness, my lips are sealed.” He made a motion of locking his lips and throwing away the key.

“Well, since we spent so much time chatting, you should help me finish my task. The professor expects this to be finished today.” Dimitri said, gesturing around them. 

“Damn, I guess I brought this on myself, huh.” Sylvain sighed as he began to pull out a weed. 

-

After lunch, Dimitri went off to find Claude. They had planned to do some research in the library together in the afternoon, and Dimitri had some free time before their meeting time, so he made his way to the dormitory. He knocked on the door of Claude’s room, and immediately he could hear cursing as what sounded like a stack of books toppled over. 

Worried, Dimitri leaned close to the door, “Claude? Are you alright?”

A second later and the door was quickly ripped open, revealing a surprised and disheveled Claude.

“Your Highness! Wow, um, I didn’t think you’d be here this early. Sorry about the mess.”

“Not a problem, Claude. May I help you tidy up?” Dimitri offered.

“Oh, sure,” Claude replied as he stepped aside, letting his friend enter the room.

Dimitri stepped in and surveyed his surroundings. There was paper strewn all over the floor, and he could see a pile of books that he assumed had fallen over when he knocked. He decided to start with collecting all the paper, and Claude began to pick up the books.

“My apologies if I startled you. I had some free time, so I thought I could pass by. I am sorry for causing trouble.”

Claude caught the pout on Dimitri’s face and quickly waved his hand dismissively. 

“You’ve never been any trouble to me, don’t worry. I got carried away anyway, so if you didn’t come I would’ve lost track of time.”

Dimitri looked relieved. “Thank you, Claude. I am happy that I get to spend this time with you now, even if we are simply cleaning up. We have been too busy this month.”

“Very true. I don’t get why they send us on so many missions when they have the knights, but you can’t question Rhea, I guess.” Claude replied, putting the books back in their place. Dimitri followed suit, and placed the papers on the desk. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something gold and shiny on the desk. He picked it up, turning it over in his hand.

“This is a very interesting dagger, Claude. The colors are quite unique.”

Claude turned to him, confused. “What are you talking abou- oh. That dagger.”

“Is something the matter? Is it not yours?” Dimitri replied, looking at Claude now.

“No, it’s mine,” Claude said slowly, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, “it’s just that. It’s kind of a personal item?”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry if I was not meant to touch it.” He was about to put it back when Claude stopped him.

“It’s fine, you can look at it if you want.”

Nodding, Dimitri returned to admiring the dagger. It had a beautiful blue hilt with a flowery pattern. He noticed a small engraving on the blade: the letters C and D. He slowly ran a finger over the engravings.

“Claude.”

“Hmmm?”

“Where did you get this dagger from?”

Claude paused his cleaning, but refused to look Dimitri in the eyes.

“Um. I don’t really remember. I was young.”

“Claude. Look at me.”

Claude tensed at the coldness in the prince’s voice. He looked up at his friend’s face, and he could see the confusion in his eyes.

“Dimitri, listen-”

“No. I don’t understand. This blade cannot be yours. I remember it. But I don’t remember  _ you.” _

“Dimitri, please, don’t do this.” Claude begged, his voice breaking.

Dimitri slammed the dagger onto the desk, his hand shaking.

“I have to go.”

Claude let out a huge sigh as the door closed shut after the prince. 

“Why does nothing ever go right..” he whispered.

-

Claude didn’t go to dinner. He didn’t want to see Dimitri, but he also didn’t want anybody to see what a mess he was. He was mindlessly reading a book to distract himself when he heard a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” he called.

“Yours truly,” came the reply.

“Sylvain.”

“At your service,” Sylvain answered from behind the door.

Claude trudged to the door and opened it slightly, and stuck his head out through the crack.

“Did you need anything?”

“I was wondering if we could talk. Dimitri is a mess, and apparently so are you,  _ and  _ you both missed dinner. And being the amazing friend I am, I came to check on you.”

“What about Dimitri?”

“He said he’d tear my arm off if I knocked again.”

“Ah, I see.” 

Claude opened the door for him, and Sylvain waltzed right in and plopped onto the bed. 

“So, who messed up?”

Claude sat in his desk chair and groaned. “Both? Neither one? I don’t know, Sylvain. It happened so fast.”

“Is this related to the fact that he doesn’t remember that you two met before?”

Immediately, Claude’s eyebrows furrowed in shock and confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

Sylvain sighed. “Please don’t play dumb with me. Dimitri told me that you two might have met before, but I’m guessing it’s more than that. Am I right?”

Claude chucked grimly. “You hit the nail on the head.”

“So what’s the story?” Sylvain asked, leaning forward. 

“There’s not much. It was only for a day, but we were friends. So it’s not a huge surprise that he forgot, I guess.” Claude replied with a shrug.

Sylvain cocked his head to the side. “Then why do you look so devastated? There’s more to this, isn’t there?”

Claude smiled sadly. “Yeah. We made a promise. He told me to meet him here in the officer’s academy, and I did everything I could to fulfill that promise.”

“Oh, Goddess.” Sylvain ran his hand through his hair. “Now I get it. You made a huge promise, and he forgot you completely.”

Claude nodded. “And that’s not the end of it.” He covered his face with his hands. “Sylvain, all those years apart, I was  _ in love  _ with him.”

Sylvain stared at him in shock, eyes and mouth both wide open.

“But now everything’s messed up,” Claude groaned, “and I don’t know what he’s thinking or how I can fix it.”

Sylvain looked at him sympathetically. “Claude, it’s not your fault. Do you know what happened to him after you two parted?”

Claude shook his head, and so Sylvain explained. How his family and Felix’s brother were murdered. How Dimitri closed himself off for years and became a lifeless shell, and would whisper to people only he could see. 

“It took a long time to get him to where he is now. He wasn’t doing well at all, Claude. He forgot a lot of things. He sees things that we don’t. He tried to talk about it, but when we couldn’t understand he just kind of gave up.”

Claude was speechless. He didn’t know that Dimitri had gone through all that. Didn’t  _ realize _ how bad the situation was.

“I- I only heard small details about what happened. I had no idea. I should’ve- I should’ve asked about him more. I can’t believe I wasn’t there for him, I-”

Claude started to shake, and Sylvain quickly walked over to him and held his arms steady.

“Claude. It’s not your fault.”

“I have to fix this.”

“You need to give him space. And time. Going to him now won’t help.”

Claude dropped his head in defeat. “Fine. But please, promise me you’ll stay by his side. He can’t be alone, not again.”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t plan on it. I may not be the greatest friend, but I’m not abandoning him. I’ll even get Ingrid to check on him. Plus he has Dedue to take care of him. So don’t worry, Claude. He’s not alone. Actually, I think he has more people around him than you do.” Sylvain said that last part as a whisper.

“Yeah, you’re right. You’re the only one that noticed I wasn’t there for dinner. And maybe my classmates will ask, but they wouldn’t care this much. Thank you, Sylvain.”

Sylvain patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t sweat it, Claudey. You can always count on me. Also, I can bet you that Hilda is going to break down your door at some point if you don’t come out.”

“You’re probably right.”

As if on cue, someone banged loudly on Claude’s door.

“Claude! I know you’re in there, and I’m  _ not  _ leaving until you open up this door. I brought food, and you. Are. Going. To. Eat. It.”

Claude laughed. “Speak of the devil.”

Sylvain opened the door to an angry Hilda, who had a whole basket of food with her.

“Sylvain?” she asked, puzzled.

“Heya Hilda, I was just about to go. I’ll leave him to you,” he said with a wink, and off he went.

Hilda shut the door behind her. “Okayyy, that was weird. You never let anyone in here.”

“You’re actually the third person in my room today.” Claude moved to the bed and patted the spot beside him, signaling for Hilda to join him.

“I’m guessing the first person was prince charming?” she asked as she sat down.

“Wow, it’s like I’m an open book today.” Claude chuckled.

“Did you get into a fight? You look absolutely miserable. Those puffy eyes of yours are  _ so _ not pretty.”

“Kind of. We had an argument. I’m going to give him space until he wants to talk about it.”

“Hmm, that’s boring. I’m guessing Sylvain already got to hear all the juicy parts since he got here first, huh? What a bummer.”

Claude laughed, feeling better already. “Thank you, Hilda. You always know how to cheer me up.”

“What? I didn’t even do anything.”

“Claude reached for one of the bread rolls in the basket. “Your presence always brightens my day, Hilda.”

“Thanks, but I’d rather hear that from Marianne. Actually, since I was nice enough to come all the way here, I need to tell you about how cute she was at dinner.”

Claude smiled and leaned back as she started listing all the things Marianne did while she ate. He was grateful for this distraction, and he knew that Hilda was trying to cheer him up. Claude was happy that there were people that cared about him, no matter how few. 

He would wait. The same way he waited for Dimitri to be his friend again, he would wait for him now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm sorry for the wait. Things have been hectic, but I finally have the time for this again.   
Sorry that I've come back with angst.  
Also, I love love love all the comments I've gotten. I'm still new at this, but I feel so encouraged by everyone's kind words. Thank you so much.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic in a while! I love these two very much so I'll do my best.  



End file.
